Qatar facing more sanctions if it refuses Gulf states' demands

The 48 hour extension for Qatar to accept a list of demands placed on it by a number of Gulf states is entering a critical new phase.

Already blockaded by a group of Saudi led nations...further action is threatened if Qatar doesn't comply.

The standoff began with the Saudis accusing Qatar of funding terrorism.

Qatar has effectively held up a mirror and said if it's good for us, its good for you too - thereby refusing to submit and become a vassal state of Saudi Arabia according to Nader Hashemi - the director of the Centre for Middle East Studies at the Josef Korbel School in Denver.

Nader Hashemi is speaking to Tracey Holmes, who began by asking why the Al Jazeera network shutdown was so central to the Saudi demands.